Have you ever visited a wine shop and blindly picked a bottle? Then at home, the wine was not what you expected – too dry, too sweet, too full-bodied, too light-bodied. This can happen with rieslings.
Riesling is an exceptional wine selection for pairing with food, whether it is a dry or sweet style. Sweeter styles are great matches for spicy cuisine, Asian-style foods and other dishes with some sweetness. For spicy cuisines, the sweetness of the riesling will counteract and cool down the dish. For drier-style riesling, try shellfish such as oysters, grilled shrimp, risotto with asparagus, shaved Brussels sprouts with shaved parmesan cheese or creamy French cheeses.
Here are some riesling selections that range from sweet to off-dry to dry.
Cave Spring Estate Riesling, Canada. Nestled on a hillside of the Niagara Escarpment overlooking Lake Ontario, this riesling has a hint of residual sugar (6 grams per liter) and with great vibrancy and acidity. Therefore, the taste and perception of it is a drier style. It has a plethora of refreshing peach, apricot and tropical fruit notes that then lead into a nicely viscous and medium-bodied palate. It is fermented in both stainless steel and casks. It is one that you can hold onto for the next five years. Less than $30.
Thomas Schmitt Estate Bottled QbA Off-Dry Riesling, Mosel, Germany. From the slopes of the Mosel region, one of the most famed regions for riesling production in Germany, comes this off-dry style. Its residual sugar is 7.5 to 9 grams per liter. The winemaker determines the level of sweetness during fermentation. This lovely style has great aromatics of pineapple, mango and apricots. It’s also backed by notes of banana and has a great body that rounds out the acidity nicely. Less than $20.
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THE FULL RANGE: Riesling is an exceptional wine but can seem too dry or too sweet, full-bodied or light-bodied, if the consumer doesn’t know what they’re buying. These five rieslings have varying characteristics.
COURTESY JESSICA NORRIS GRANATIERO[/caption]
Hugel Classic Riesling, France. This is the signature wine of the Famille Hugel estate, with grapes that are hand-picked. The estate has been in the family since 1639. With only 1.6 grams per liter of residual sugar, this is a bone-dry riesling. It has a light body and very crisp, vibrant acidity that adds to its dryness. It is fermented in either barrels or stainless steel vats. It has great energy with pleasing notes of citrus, lemon and tropical fruits and a slightly chalky quality to it. Less than $35.
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium Fritz Willi Off-Day Riesling, Mosel, Germany. What a unique wine and name. Coming in at only 11% alcohol, this riesling selection is medium dry and is zippy and refreshing with characteristics of elderflower, pink grapefruit and peaches. It comes from slopes from the Mosel, as well as the Saar areas of Germany. Its great acidity makes it taste less sweet than we would expect. Less than $25.
Schmitt Sohne Dry Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany. This is also a dry style, just slightly above the residual sugar of the Cave Spring. Low alcohol as well (only 10.5%), Schmitt Sohne dry riesling has 6.5 grams per liter of residual sugar. It comes from the rolling hills in Germany’s Rheinhessen region. The region’s heat allows great ripeness of the grapes. The result here is a beautiful light body with notes of citrus, tropical fruits and green apple. To maintain its fresh acidity and refreshing quality, the wine only enters stainless steel tanks for fermentation and aging. Less than $15.
Jessica Norris Granatiero is the founder of The Savory Grape, a wine, beer and spirits shop in East Greenwich. She can be reached through her website, www.jessicagranatiero.com or by email at jessica@thesavorygrape.com.
